Your life will be as bright as the noonday sun. Job 11:17

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I started this morning kinda hard. Really hard. As in face down on some cement. This is how it happened…

I went out early for my morning walk (trying to make at least three miles each day). On my way to the walking track my feet got tangled in some orange safety netting. So much for safety because down I went scraping elbows, palms and worse of all, my knees. Both of them. You have to know that I am super protective of my knees. Osteoarthritis has long plagued both, and as I age, it has gotten progressively worse. Injuring a knee is the LAST thing I want to happen.

Oh well, so much for wanting because I hurt them – scrapes, bruises and swelling.

At this point I wasn’t sure if I was glad or not that no one was around. My pride was glad that I was alone, but I surely needed some help getting up because I had to kneel on the cement and those injured knees to stand. More scraping. More bruising. And now some blood, sweat and tears.

Nevertheless, I was able to stand and limp back to my car. I dusted myself off, grabbed some tissues to blot the blood and searched my knapsack for a bandage. No luck. I thought I might still be able to walk (I want to get those three miles in!) if I could just get some bandages and maybe some Neosporin and Aleve. Close to a grocery store, I drove there. Not open. Passed two drug stores. Not open. Ahhhhhh, a dollar store! And it was open.

Still early in the morning, there was only one person working in the store and now me. At this point my knees were swelling and because of the bleeding my pants were sticking to them. I said, “Good morning, can you tell me where the first aid supplies are?” The clerk responded, “Huh?” I said, “Band Aids” to which she replied, “Aisle 12.” Now hobbling (Is this worse than limping? It felt worse.), I made it to what I thought was Aisle 12, but I did not see bandages, Neosporin or anything else that looked like a first aid supply except some cotton balls. Tears welled in my eyes; I was hurting. I called to the lady, “Maam” (That’s what we say in the South even though I suspect I was twice her age at least.) “Excuse me, but I don’t see any bandages.” She snapped, “I said Aisle 12; you are on 13!” As my grandmother used to say, “I don’t know who licked the red off of her candy,” especially so early in the morning, but I just needed some bandages and to elevate and ice these knees.

Over to Aisle 12. Band Aids, Neosporin and Bacitracin. Passing by the cooler, I grabbed a bottle of cold water – to drink and to put on these now throbbing knees. My elbows and palms had begun to burn. I stopped at the first register to pay. The clerk walked past me to the third register and yelled, “Down here.” My Lord, more steps. And in the wrong direction – away from the door, the parking lot and my car. By now I am beginning to tremble (don’t know if it was nerves, anxiety or something else). Trembling and tearing I fumble into my purse to pay. The clerk takes my money and throws (literally) my stuff in the bag mumbling, “Come again; have a nice day.”

A nice day?!

She never looked up.

She didn’t even see me.

Yes, she saw a woman come into the store. If I’d committed a crime, she probably would have been able to report accurately to the police that I am Black, heavyset and was wearing black trousers. She might be able to add that I wore my hair in a ponytail. Beyond that, she didn’t see me. She didn’t see ME. The hobble (or limp). The tears. The trembling. The need for help. The need for a gentle response.

Rather than be angered, I thought, “How many times have I not seen people?” How many times have I been guilty of having a conversation (“Come again; have a nice day.”) without really seeing the person (or meaning the words)?

We are commanded to love each other (John 15:12), to lay down our lives (John 15:13), to give (Matthew 5:42) and to look to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4) all so that we might point others to Christ and so that our Father in heaven may be glorified (Matthew 5:16). We can do none of this if we do not first “see” people.

In my car, crying and bleeding, I prayed, “Father, open my eyes and my heart that I will never pass another person and not “see” them.” I am grateful to the Lord for this early morning lesson; I just wish I could have gotten it a little less painfully. 😉

This is a very personal post, one born of conversations with a cherished friend that ultimately thrust me into a place of deep introspection.

My friend is facing a season of challenge, a season that I told her a weaker woman could not endure. I suspect God would not even call a weaker woman to navigate such a season. We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that no temptation overtakes us except what is common to mankind, and God is faithful not letting us be tempted beyond what wecanbear and when (not if) we are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that we can endure it. Actually, He will provide a way for us to surthrive!

“Some, indeed, understand these words by way of reproof, that whereas their trials and exercises which had attended them were very light ones, and comparatively trivial; and yet they had given way to these temptations, and had sunk under them, and fallen by them, for which they were greatly to be blamed; or as threatening them with something more severe than anything as yet had befallen them, signifying that though they had as yet stood, and thought they still should; yet they ought not to presume on their own strength, or depend on outward things; since the temptations that as yet had come upon them were such as men might easily bear; there was no great trial or experiment of their grace and strength by them; they had not yet resisted unto blood; there were heavier and severer trials they might expect; and therefore should not be too secure in themselves, but take heed lest when these things should come upon them, in such a time of great temptation, they should fall away.”

Gill continues suggesting that “the words are spoken by way of comfort to the saints; intimating that as no temptation or affliction had befallen them, so none should, but what either came from men, or was common to men, or which men by divine assistance, and under divine influence, might bear; and therefore should not distress themselves with the apprehensions of it, as if it was some strange or unusual thing, and as if they must unavoidably perish and be destroyed by it:

Okay. There are really just two questions the first being, “does God ever give allow us more hardship than we can handle?” (The short answer, of course, is “yes!”) The second question, one which my friend has asked, is “why?” (The only slightly longer but still short answer is “so that we will rely on God and not on our own understanding, strength or power.”

Just as I have when I have encountered seasons of challenge, my friend commented that she felt she was being punished – especially because this season has come about (as so many do) through no fault of hers. Haven’t we all been there? Minding our business, doing right…then BAM! From seemingly nowhere, unexpected and not even deserved (according to us) – a major challenge. A hardship. A struggle. A complication. A setback. Call it what you want, we don’t want it, and we wonder, “why?” Specifically, “why me?”

I will offer you the same question that I offered my friend. Are you being punished or positioned?

I will not attempt to retell but rather will redirect you to the story of Joseph, ask you to read it and consider the question (see Genesis 37). Was Joseph punished or positioned?

If you are at all familiar with the Scriptures, you know there are many others. God positions us for His purposes; every hardship is not about us. Again, look at Joseph. Though he had to endure being sold into slavery, the unwanted advances ad then lies of Potiphar’s wife, imprisonment, being forgotten and more, he was positioned to save his family – including those who authored his hardship.

When (not if) you face a season of struggle, consider you may be being positioned to be used mightily by God. Count it all joy when you fall into various trials (James 1:2-18); your Father is at work! Aren’t you excited to see just what He will do?

1-2 Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn’t burn up.

6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:1-6, The Message)

Did you get it? The angel of God appeared to Moses. God saw that Moses had stopped what he was doing to look at the burning bush. Then…God called to Moses from the bush! He called him by name! Not once, but twice – “Moses! Moses!”

I know that I can’t be the only one that has ever wished that God would speak to me as clearly as He spoke to those in the Bible – that He would send an unmistakable angel and then call me by my name – Debbie! Oh, Debbie!

The Scriptures seem replete (aka brimming) with stories of when God spoke directly to people –

Cain (Genesis 4:6)

Noah (Genesis 6:13-21, 7:1-4, 8:15-17)

Job and his friends (Job 38:1-42:6)

Abimelech (Genesis 20:3-7)

Isaac (Genesis 26:24)

Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15, 35:1, 9-12)

Joshua (Joshua 6:2-5)

Samuel (1Samuel 3:4-14, 15:10, 16:7)

David (1Samuel 23:2, 23:4, 30:8; 2Samuel 2:1, 5:19, 5:23-24)

Okay, so those were the big names. But he also spoke to:

Jehu (1Kings 16:1-4)

Elijah (1Kings 19:9-18)

Isaiah (2Kings 20:4; Isa 6:8-12, 8:1-11)

Ahaz (Isaiah 7:10-25)

Manasseh and his people (2Chronicles 33:10)

Jonah (Jonah 1:1-2, 3:1-2, 4:4, 4:9-11)

Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:3)

Hosea (Hosea 1:2-5)

Haggai (Haggai 2:10-23)

Zechariah (Zechariah 1:1-17)

So why not Debbie?

I have questions, decisions to make. I want to be wise. I want to please Him. I want “my ways” aligned with “His ways.” Oh, how I have wanted a burning bush! Or at least a little sky writing!

Well, the truth of the matter is that He does speak to us. Perhaps not through bushes, fires and pillars of clouds, but He speaks.

He has indwelt us with His Holy Spirit – His Spirit who comforts us, brings us peace and helps us recall what we know about God so that we may accurately share our faith (John 14:15-27).

His Spirit Who counsels and guides us in our everyday lives (John 16:8).

His Spirit Who helps us when we pray by interceding for us (Romans 8:26).

And His Spirit through Whom He speaks to us! Yes, there are other ways that God speaks (e.g. through the counsel of the Godly, through Scripture, through other Christians), but a primary way is through His Holy Spirit that He has sent to live within us performing all those aforementioned functions – comforting, instilling peace, counseling, interceding AND speaking directly to us.

God wants to speak to us and, in fact, has to speak to us because He promised in Psalm 32:8 to instruct us and teach us in the way that we should go.

During Old Testament times the people had no choice but to rely on signs and the messages of prophets; they did not have the personal, intimate, indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.

I love the story of Ruth from the Scriptures of the Bible. A good love story is always a joy to read, and certainly Ruth and Boaz’s story is counted among the great love stories of history. But that Ruth, a widowed woman left with her also widowed mother-in-law, is literally rescued by the wealthy kinsman redeemer, Boaz, is not even the best part of the story.

The best part of this story is actually what even Ruth didn’t know!

Scripture says that Ruth and Boaz married and had a baby boy named Obed. Obed grew up and fathered his own son, Jesse. Jesse grew up and fathered several sons, one named David. Yes, the same David who slew Goliath, who became King and who was counted as a man after God’s heart. Exciting? Yes! Fascinating? Yes! The best part of the story? Nope!

The best part of Ruth’s story is actually tucked in the Scriptures of the book of Matthew!

Matthew 1:2-16 (NASB) reads:

“Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah.Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.”

There was a lot of “begetting” and “fathering” between Ruth’s baby, Obed, and Jesus but nevertheless, Ruth and Obed were essential generational links.

Ruth’s story offers many invaluable lessons for us; here are a few to ponder:

God is faithful. The Scriptures foretold the coming of the Messiah. The genealogy in Matthew makes clear that many generations passed before the actual birth of Christ, but just as promised, the Messiah came.

God rewards obedience. Ruth experienced a long, hard season of loss. Her husband died leaving her with her mother-in-law. They were poor. They were alone. Ruth had to glean the fields (translation: harvest the leftovers) for food. She had no inheritance and was rejected by the closest relative expected to be her redeemer. But Ruth made a commitment to her mother-in-law and to God. God, in turn, rewarded her faithfulness, obedience, perseverance and commitment.

Ruth never knew, and we may never know. We can only imagine Ruth’s simultaneous delight and relief when in Ruth 4:10 (NASB) Boaz said, “I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased will not be cut off from his brothers or from the court of his birth place…” Many of us can relate to her joy at conceiving and birthing a son (Ruth 4:13) NASB. But Ruth never knew that Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and Redeemer, the Messiah, came through her generational line. And we may never know the generational line or influence that flows from us.

Three passages best summarize the lesson for us:

Galatians 6:9

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Colossians 3:23-24

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

Luke 6:22-23a

Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.

Taste Buds. Also known as gustatory cells. Sometimes confused with papillae. Filled with very sensitive microscopic hairs called microvilli.

Okay. More than you want to know or even feel that you need to know? I get that. Just glad to have them? I get that, too! Without them a ripe peach, a juicy steak, even the quiche that is in my oven at this very moment just wouldn’t be the same! It is our taste buds that allow us to experience the joys of things that are sweet, salty, sour, and bitter.

Through the years my tastes have changed somewhat. As a child, I didn’t like okra; now, I love it. I used to like bananas; just don’t now, though. Beets, however? Never did and suspect I never will!

Why those particular tastes have changed for me, I am not sure. But guess what – God changes our taste buds. Probably not so much when it comes to things like okra, bananas and beets, but when the new life of the Holy Spirit resides within us and begins to grow His influence in our submitted lives, we change! Our tastes change! Again, not so much with regard to food, but certainly in regard to our desires, thoughts and passions.

Philippians 2:13 (NLT) teaches that “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” God’s work is to align our “tastes” (desires) with His “tastes” (will) for our lives. His desire is that our thoughts, will, emotions, attitudes and passions be progressively transformed to align with His so that we carry out the plan He has crafted for us – a plan for our good (Jeremiah 29:11), a plan to glorify Him.

When I was a child, my parents would put beets on my plate. Yuck! I didn’t like the smell, color or fact that the nasty juice from them spilled over onto the other good food on my plate! My parents would implore me to just try them; take a bite. They believed my tastes would change, be renewed even to like beets.

When we “taste” God’s plan (accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives and submit to the Holy Spirit), we will see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8); the spirit of our minds is renewed (Ephesians 4:23). Renewed minds begin thinking God’s thoughts. Renewed wills begin desiring God’s ambitions. Renewed spirits result in emotions, attitudes and postures that align with God.

Many times I was too stubborn to taste those beets (or any other questionable food). Sometimes I missed out on good things because of that stubbornness. Admittedly, I am sometimes too stubborn to submit to God and accept His Word and His plan. How about you? Oh what we miss when we think we know best! The more we surrender to God, the more we are transformed and conformed to the image of Christ.

Make no mistake about it. Satan is a liar (John 8:44). He is also a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

He came last Tuesday.

But he did not steal, (kill or destroy) my joy. I gave it to him!

Yes, as soon as he showed his face, I threw up my hands and gave it to him. Without a fight.

Of course I didn’t recognize that right away. As a matter of fact, I spent several hours and engaged in several conversations discussing how he had robbed me. Interrupted an otherwise glorious morning and stole my joy! It was a beautiful, sunny day. I had a plan and a list, and I was working both. The skies were blue, my steps were light and peppy, I had checked two things off my list and was well on my way to number three.

Then, out of the blue, Satan showed up bringing with him several demons from the past.

What?

I handed my joy right over to him. I let him take me back to a dark place. A sad place. An overwhelming place. For a few hours I settled into that place – rolled around in the muck and mire, had a pity party and resigned myself to the fact that “this” would never be over, would never go away, that there was just no end to “it.” I even texted my girlfriend that “this” was a gift that just kept on giving.

So what?

Thankfully, my Father reminded me of some things!

First, He reminded me of Who He is – all powerful, almighty and all knowing (Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 40:28, Luke 12:7)! He was not caught off-guard or by surprise. He knew just what was going to happen every minute and moment of Tuesday, and He already had a plan.

Secondly, He reminded me of who I am and where I am – that He is mindful of me (Psalm 8:3-4) and that He is with me, upholding me (Isaiah 41:10), protecting me (Psalm 20:1, 140:4), helping and delivering me (Psalm 46:1, 34:19).

Thirdly, He reminded me that while He fights for me (Exodus 14:14), I am to always be alert and am to resist the devil and stand firm in my faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). I am to be dressed in full armor at all times so that when (not if) Satan comes, I am ready and able to stand (Ephesians 6:11-17) not turn tail and run and not surrender! I am to remember that in all “these” things I am more than a conqueror through Him (Romans 8:37) and I can be strong and courageous not trembling and dismayed (Joshua 1:9)! My enemies have been subdued under me (Psalm 18:39).

Now what?

I reclaimed my joy!

And I encourage you to do the same. When we belong to Christ, the enemy never has the final word over our lives. We are secure in God’s hands (2 Chronicles 20:15). He fights for us but we are to be ready at all times so that when Satan comes, we stand!